“The presumption that these shares should be treated as if they had voted against the transaction is patently unfair,” the group said in a statement.

Here’s the latest statement from Michael Dell and Silver Lake in its entirety:

Under current provisions, shares that don’t vote are counted as votes against the transaction for purposes of determining whether a majority of the unaffiliated shares wish to accept our offer. According to our latest tally, approximately 27% of the unaffiliated shares have not yet been voted. The presumption that these shares should be treated as if they had voted against the transaction is patently unfair.

We believe that $13.75 per share is a full and fair price. We also believe that the decision of whether to accept this offer should rest in the hands of the unaffiliated shareholders. The will of the majority of the unaffiliated shares voting on the transaction should not be thwarted by an unfair standard that counts unaffiliated shares not voting as “no” votes. We believe that the vote of the majority of the unaffiliated shares voting on the transaction should be respected, and that if this majority wishes to accept our offer, it is only fair to permit them to do so.

In our proposal to the Special Committee, we also left it open for them to decide whether to change the record date. We believe a change in the record date is essential as it would give shareholders time to process and vote on our new proposal.